Communication systems allow users to communicate with each other over a network. The network may be, for example, the Internet or public switched telephone network (PSTN). Audio signals can be transmitted between nodes of the network, to thereby allow users to transmit and receive audio data (such as speech data) to each other in a communication session over the communication system.
A user device may have audio input means such as a microphone that can be used to receive audio signals such as speech from a user. The user may enter into a communication session with another user, such as a private call (with just two users in the call) or a conference call (with more than two users in the call). The user's speech is received at the microphone, processed and is then transmitted over a network to the other users in the call.
As well as the audio signals from the user, the microphone may also receive other audio signals, such as background noise, which are unwanted and which may disturb the audio signals received from the user.
The user device may also have audio output means such as speakers for outputting audio signals to near end user that are received over the network from a far end user during a call. Such speakers can also be used to output audio signals from other applications which are executed at the user device, and which can be picked up by the microphone as unwanted audio signals which would disturb the speech signals from the near end user.
A difficulty that can arise in an acoustic system is “howling”. Howling is an unwanted effect which arises from acoustic feedback in the system, and causes a loud, often high pitched, persistent unwanted sound. Howling can be suppressed after it has been detected as audible, e.g. using a notch filter to suppress the howling. Most acoustic systems have an echo canceller (AEC) which can reduce howling, but depending on the AEC design, the task can be very challenging. In other AECs the howling is cancelled as the echo it is.